Hidup Sehat

It’s important to admit ignorance; otherwise, you’re arrogant. I had no idea that the extended-warranty plans, AppleCare and AppleCare+, could be refunded on a pro-rata basis for the unused remaining portion, despite ostensibly being a veteran reporter of things Apple. This wouldn’t change any actions I’ve taken nor my recommendations. But it does shift some of the discussion around iPhone installment plans, which I just wrote about, describing swapping my phone from AT&T to the Apple iPhone Upgrade plan.

But there it is on Apple’s site! Reader “suspiciouschicken” alerted us in the comments on the iPhone-swap article. (It’s always the most suspicious chickens who notice these things.) Apple says its formula varies by country. This is because countries and regions have varying rules about how warranties must be honored and rebated. In the United States, the formula is, paraphrased:

“Original cost pro-rated for time remaining less the value of any service used and less a cancellation fee of either $25 or 10 percent of the pro-rated remaining value, whichever is lower.”

So on a $99 AppleCare+ plan after 12 months exactly and no service incidents, you’d have $49.50 in value left. Since $25 is more than 10 percent of that amount ($4.95), Apple would subtract that lesser value, for a net of about $44. While not huge, it’s not nothing, either. For a computer, it could be larger. A $349 MacBook Pro plan after a year would result in $233 remaining in value, less $23.30, or about $209.

To claim the refund, you have to contact Apple by phone, fax, or snail mail, and you have to provide the device’s serial number, the plan’s agreement number, and proof of purchase of the plan as an original sales receipt. Apple may waive the receipt requirement if both the device covered and the service plan were both purchased directly.

AppleCare for Mac, Apple Displays, and Apple TV (and some other equipment purchased at the same time) and AppleCare+ for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and iPod touch are extended warranties. Computers receive three years of coverage, while AppleCare+ covers two. All the plans extend unlimited phone support and some other customer-service options from 90 days to the full length of the plan.